At the time, nearly 30 of the exhibitors had been in the process of setting up their booths after flying in from Africa.

Protests by Animal Justice -- a non-profit that advocates for the humane treatment of animals -- also resulted in the cancellation of a booking at a Holiday Inn near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, where the show was originally scheduled to take place.

The Africa Show -- which has been in operation since 2009 and offers attendees a chance to book trips to Africa to hunt animals such as lions, leopards, elephants and hippopotamuses -- has never attracted protests before.

But organizers say this year's show has been targeted because of the death of Cecil the lion last summer, which incited a worldwide uproar. The famous animal was killed by an American, after it was lured out of a national park.

But attendees of Saturday's event said there are positives to legally sanctioned hunting in Africa.

"Absolutely no part of (an) animal is wasted,” said one attendee.

"I've personally hunted in Zambia. I've hunted a buffalo … and that buffalo got put in a vehicle and we delivered it to a village that was all but starving."

Big-game hunting is estimated to be a $1-billion industry in Africa. And supporters say a lot of that money goes towards conservation.

"We use the funds we get in Tanzania, for instance, to do a lot of anti-poaching," said Helga Zeinali, an exhibitor at the show.

"The poaching there is a huge problem and the funds that come into the government for the hunting, which is all legal, goes towards that."

Birgit Johnstone, the owner of African Events Canada, said that she used to be against hunting, but living in the countryside for 30 years changed her mind.

"You're entitled to your opinion, but understand and educate yourself on the importance of the value of hunting, (and) the economic contribution towards these African countries.

Protesters said money isn't the issue, and people can contribute to African nations in ways that don't involve hunting.

"If they wanted to contribute to the economies of Africa, then they should just be paying out amounts, or go visit there and be tourists, and act ethically when they're there," said Remington Latanville, a member of Ban African Trophy Hunting.

Despite the protests, The Africa Show is expected to continue to run on Sunday. The event is also scheduled to make stops in Saskatoon on Jan. 23-24, and Calgary on Jan. 30-31.

The Saskatoon show was also forced to find a new venue after a petition by Animal Justice prompted a cancellation by the Saskatoon Inn.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Scott Lightfoot and files from The Canadian Press

Advertisements

Latest Canada & World News

A Cambridge, Ont., mother says she was told to stop breastfeeding her daughter at a gym Sunday because her "breast milk could stain the mats." Monica Makey was at Dynamo Gymnastics with her daughter Vayda, who is nearly two years old, for the pair's first "parent and tot" gymnastics class.
Source

In hindsight, it's strange that for years, anyone installing a Facebook app could not only give that app's developer access to their personal information, but the personal information of all their friends. Where your friends lived, worked, and went to school — not to mention their interests and the pages they had liked — were all fair game.
Source

WINNIPEG -- A group that represents defence lawyers says some proposed laws aimed at cracking down on drivers distracted by hand-held electronic devices go too far. Manitoba and Ontario are two provinces planning to let police temporarily suspend the licences of drivers caught using hand-held cellphones and other equipment.
Source

A pod of dolphins has become trapped by sea ice near Heart’s Delight-Islington, Newfoundland -- a small town roughly one-and-a-half hour’s drive from St. John’s. “Ice drove them in,” retired local fisherman Charlie Sooley told NTV on Monday.
Source

Unveiling a long-awaited plan to combat the national scourge of opioid drug addiction, U.S. President Donald Trump called Monday for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including the death penalty.
"Toughness is the thing that they most fear," Trump said.
Source

LOS ANGELES -- Charles Manson's cremated remains have been scattered nearly four months after the cult leader died in prison. A funeral was held Saturday following a court battle for the 83-year-old's remains. Pastor Mark Pitcher of the Church of the Nazarene in Porterville, California, says 20 to 25 people attended the funeral.
Source

A North Carolina woman is facing a charge for transporting people into the United States who didn't have permission to be in the country, according to a complaint filed Monday in federal court in Vermont.
The complaint said that just after 2 a.m.
Source

HALIFAX -- A Nova Scotia judge has allowed a Halifax-area father unsupervised parenting time with his child, despite the mother's objections over his "unorthodox beliefs" on white pride and other racial matters. In a written decision, Justice Carole Beaton of the provincial Supreme Court's family division said it's in the six-year-old's best interest to have contact with the father.
Source

The U.S. Supreme Court is keeping in place a revised map of Pennsylvania's congressional districts, turning down a request from Republican leaders in the state Legislature.
The court's order Monday declining to put on hold the revised map comes as incumbents and potential challengers are circulating petitions to get on the May primary ballot.
Source

Police in Tampa, Fla., say they have no reason to believe the fall that killed a Cirque du Soleil aerialist Saturday "is anything except a tragic accident," as their investigation into the death of Yann Arnaud continues this week.
Source